Slow Cooker Creamy Lemon Spinach Chicken

Jump to Recipe

Slow cooker creamy lemon spinach chicken is a must-make recipe. This dish, made with tangy lemon juice, garlic, and parmesan cheese will please the senses and elevate any meal. Delicious with breast or thigh meat!

Crock Pot chicken recipes are awesome but can sometimes be tricky to make. But, if you aren’t careful, you can, very easily, overcook chicken in a slow cooker. Overcooked chicken will get dry and rubbery.

Luckily, there are some easy steps to take to help avoid this from occurring:

1. Use a meat thermometer. Chicken is safe to eat once it hits an internal temperature of 165ºF.
2. Cook thigh meat. Crockpot chicken thighs can cook for longer without drying out.
3. Shred chicken. Skinless chicken breasts are delicious and economical. They play a starring role in many delicious recipes. But they do dry out the fastest. In many cases, shredding and mixing chicken breast with a creamy sauce (like this one) can save the day.

This dish is made with simple ingredients and the lemon flavor is delicious with either thighs or breasts. My preference is to cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces prior to cooking. But if you prefer to shred them, there is no need to cut first.

📝Shopping list

Jump to Recipe card for exact quantities

To make this crock pot creamy lemon chicken you will need:

• Chicken - boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts
• Chicken broth
• Heavy whipping cream - or coconut milk
• Lemons
• Parmesan Cheese - grated
• Spinach
• Paprika
• Thyme
• Garlic - minced
• Butter
• Salt and pepper

🥣Assembly

Place chicken thighs (or breasts) on the bottom of the pot. Add salt, pepper, and paprika and toss to coat.

Next, add in garlic, thyme, chicken broth. the juice of your two lemons, and butter.

Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours - until chicken pieces reach an internal temperature of 165ºF. 30-45 minutes prior to serving, add parmesan cheese, heavy cream, and spinach to slow cooker.

The sauce for this dish is not super thick. If you would like to thicken it a bit more, you can add additional parmesan cheese to your slow cooker.

🍴Serving suggestions

This is one of those easy recipes that produces plenty of tasty sauce. It is therefore perfect when paired with a vegetable or starch that can soak up all of that deliciousness! It is particularly wonderful over mashed potatoes, mashed cauliflower, rice, or cauliflower rice. A fresh, crusty loaf of bread is also a great side that will please the entire family.

The warm and creamy lemon sauce is great when balanced with a cool crisp salad. Zucchini noodles or pasta noodles make great pairing choices as well. Green beans or steamed broccoli also make great go-withs.

Storing leftovers

Leftovers of this creamy lemon chicken recipe store really well in either the refrigerator or freezer. I like to store leftovers in meal-sized, airtight containers. This is an easy way to have an amazing dinner ready to go at a moment's notice. This delicious family meal will stay fresh in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

While it can also be frozen, this dish may separate a bit during defrosting and reheating. This is not a problem, just be sure to mix well at the time of reheating.

😉Hints & hacks

1. If you are looking to add some extra flavor, stir in some red pepper flakes and top with grated lemon zest.
2. This is one of those slow cooker recipes that can be a bit messy. Spraying your slow cooker with a non-stick cooking spray before cooking OR using a slow cooker liner (my preference) is helpful.
3. This delicious lemon garlic chicken is low carb.
4. Since my whole family prefers chicken breast (over thighs) , a slow cooker with a built-in thermometer is really helpful. It helps to ensure we have moist and tender chicken chunks.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases and affiliate links.

Follow me on Facebook

Check out my latest on Instagram